Routledge Sexual Deviance and Society: A Sociological Examination

In a society where sexualized media has become background noise, we are frequently discouraged from frank and open discussions about sex and offered few tools for understanding sexual behaviors and sexualities that are perceived as being out of the norm. This book encourages readers to establish new ways of thinking about stigmatized people and behaviors and to think critically about gender, sex, sexuality, and sex crimes. Sexual Deviance and Society uses sociological theories of crime, deviance, gender, and sexuality to construct a framework for understanding sexual deviance. This book is divided into four units: Unit I, Sociology of Deviance and Sexuality, lays the foundation for understanding sex and sexuality through sociological frameworks of deviance. Unit II, Sexual Deviance, provides an in-depth dialogue to its readers about the sociological constructions of sexual deviance with a critical focus on contemporary and historical conceptualizations. Unit III, Deviant Sexual Acts, explores a variety of deviant sexual acts in detail, including sex in public, fetishes, and sex work. Unit IV, Sex Crimes and Criminals, examines rape and sexual assault, sex crimes against children, and societal responses to sex offenders and their treatment within the criminal justice system. This revised second edition includes new theoretical approaches such as Norm-Centered Stigma Theory; expands into new fields of criminology such as queer criminology; more deeply discusses nonbinary people’s experiences; includes updates to the landscape of LGBTQ rights; reviews "new" forms of sexual deviance including "incels" and "revenge porn"; covers the latest developments in the #MeToo movement; and expands on the discussion of SM, including the "Fifty Shades Phenomenon." In addition, this edition reviews the ever-evolving world of sex work and camming by examining how Pornhub, OnlyFans, and exotic dancers/strip clubs have revolutionized sex work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing an integrative approach that creates a dialogue between the subjects of gender/sexuality, criminology, and deviance, this book is a key resource for students interested in developing a critical understanding of sex, sexuality, and sex crime. Review "The new edition of Meredith Worthen's Sexual Deviance and Society is a triumph. It is nuanced yet foundational, empirically grounded yet theoretically sophisticated. And it is a pleasure to read. I cannot imagine any instructor teaching the subject and not adopting this book." Erich Goode, Sociology Professor Emeritus, Stony Brook University "Meredith Worthen serves the reader with a very sophisticated analysis of one of the most complex and vibrant topics confronting society. The topics in Sexual Deviance and Society are schemed and analyzed with great insight and creativity. Students in Deviance classes will be informed by its content and more progressive in thinking about sexual deviance. Human sexual behavior is probably the most dynamic topic in sociology and Worthen takes it a step beyond. Worthen proves that deviance is alive, well, and exciting. A great text and research tool. Worthen explores all the topics and uncovers new ones with a rousing style." Craig J. Forsyth, Professor of Sociology, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, and Editor-in-Chief of Deviant Behavior "In the second edition of Sexual Deviance and Society, Worthen has built upon her successful initial effort to allow the reader to set aside preconceived heteronormative ideas about what is and is not "normal" sexual behavior. In this edition, she goes far beyond her initial work, incorporating information from rapidly changing culture into a sociological study of sexual behavior within the framework of the sociology of deviance. Worthen expands the reader’s knowledge of the theoretical explanations of the subject through the introduction of her own stigma theory, Norm-Centered Stigma Theory (NCST), as we